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My family recently adopted a beautiful 6-year-old lab/Pyrenees mix. She’s a sweet dog, great with the family, and has integrated well into our home. She also likes to walk at least four miles a day. I did not expect that. But here I am, two months in, walking more with […]

I marvel at the instant access my students have to recorded music. There was music I had no chance of hearing until I gained access to a stellar music library in college. It was virtually impossible for me to hear. Now, my students can have a comprehensive education in the […]

Sometimes you do everything right and still get the wrong result. My son did everything responsibly this morning to get on the bus and to school, but owing to a string of strange circumstances, he didn’t make it to school until second period. He sat waiting at the high school […]

After first performances, the smart musician can find much to improve. The smart musician knows how much better they can do, and want to get there. The most important thing we must remind our smart musicians is: be motivated, not mad. Be proud of where you are – even if it’s not […]

You are many things for your ensemble: teacher, conductor, counselor, motivator, coach, critic, parent. One easy to overlook: you are your ensemble’s protector. You protect your ensemble by making sure they’re prepared. You protect your ensemble by giving them the right opportunities. You protect your ensemble by making choices that […]

Welcome to Week 13 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website. You can read more about the project here. Song: “Summertime” Composer: George Gershwin Lyricist: DuBose Heyward (co-credited to Ira Gershwin) Form: ABAC (16-bar form, multiple lyrics) Standard Key: A Minor “Summertime” is the standout song from Gershwin’s 1935 […]

In his most recent appearance on “Late Night With Stephen Colbert“, Lin-Manuel Miranda talked about his long-running series of “Gmorning/Gnight” tweets, and Colbert asked him which ones get the biggest Twitter response. His answer: “The ones that get the biggest response are the ones are the ones I am writing […]

Power down your phones, turn off your wifi, unplug your DVD player, and read a book this weekend. You’ll thank yourself. It’s kind of amazing that the modern book is only a few hundred years old. In that time, books have become an integral way of understanding the world, expanding […]

Sometimes I look at the mass of brilliant music I love and think, all the good ideas are taken. The are no new ideas. But I think the truth is that there has always been a shortage of good new ideas…as a percentage of all ideas. There are simply way […]

When you think about the message you want to put out, probably your first thought is content. What am I going to say? Just as important, and too often overlooked, is the structure. How am I going to say it? Take the time to think about the assumptions you’re making about […]